Qibla direction in Salto

How to face the Qibla in Salto

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 14.9° towards north: the result is the bearing of 75.1°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 15° off.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Salto, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Salto to Mecca points to 60.6° (north-east), 14.4° away from the correct 75.1°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 39 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 75.1° is the direction in which the shortest route from 31.3881° S, 57.9598° W sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Salto to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 11,935 km from Salto as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,070 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 32 min, although most pilgrims from Salto connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Salto run 6 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Salto rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Salto

On 233 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Salto while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 11:17 local time.

On 97 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 18:11.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Salto (06:18 and 06:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 18:29 and 28 November 2027 at 18:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Salto points straight to Mecca.

Salto compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Montevideo (75.3°), and Mecca is 59 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Montevideo (424 km), prays towards 75.3°, a difference of 0.2°.

Across the 3 cities in Uruguay on this site, the Qibla ranges from 74.6° in Maldonado to 75.3° in Montevideo, a spread of 0.6°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Uruguay.

Qibla in cities near Salto

• Montevideo75.3° · 424 km
• Maldonado74.6° · 480 km